Walking unassisted and returning to work after ACL surgery

When will you be able to walk on your knee unassisted after surgery?

Any experience for recovering from acl tear? Whe did you start walking without a walker or knee brace?

I'm needing to think way back here, but I was on crutches after surgery full time for the first week, then weight bearing as tolerated, the next 2 weeks, finally walking without crutches or cane as much as possible thereafter.

Here are my main memories - ice, ice ice and elevation. I used a cryo-cuff ice machine, wouldn't want to be without something like it. Doc wanted the leg perfectly straight for healing to begin - felt very uncomfortable, so I didn't sleep really well.

PT needs to be done twice a day for best results - and takes at least six months, to get back to full strength. I had MCL repair and some nerve damage, so it took even longer before everything felt completely normal. In the interim, I was able to walk, do stairs, bicycle, go camping, do some light path hiking, and keep up on my semi-sedentary office job (after 3 weeks off.) At 6-7 months I was back playing volleyball and running on a cushioned track.

PS I am still walking around on the repaired need 29 years later - with some arthritis, but no loss of use.

@myacct123 It depends on a lot of factors.
Here are a few -
- your physical condition before injury
- how severe the injury
- how extensive the repair surgery
- how quickly your body heals and whether there are any complications
- how physical your job is - with a sedentary job it might be a week or two, in you climb ladders or lift boxes all
day it could be two months or longer

What is your surgeon's forecast?

When can I walk unassisted after acl surgery. Been icing and raising leg. Tried a cane this week. What is the timeline?What experiences have people had?

What does your doctor say? Everyone is different.

@myacct123 Ditto what winning says! Patience please. Our bodies are not machines - replace a part and you're good to go - you need to heal. Pushing can often be counterproductive. What advice did you get from the surgeon, or more likely in your post-op instructions?

Thank you. I do know that everyone is different. Just curious about other people’s experiences.

Hello @myacct123, I combined your discussions on ACL surgery recovery and returning to walking and working into one discussion so members could all meet in one place to talk about getting back to 'normal' life after an ACL surgery.

"Walking unassisted and returning to work after ACL surgery"
- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/acl-return-to-work/

I'd also like to invite @alh123 and @amvrdv102487 to this discussion to share their experiences with recovering from an ACL surgery.